Body of Louisville boy missing from tornado found

JACKSON – After searching for part of four days, searchers found the body Thursday of an 8-year-old boy killed in one of the tornadoes that tore thorugh Mississippi earlier in the week.

Tyler Tucker was found just before 3 p.m., about 200 yards from the bodies of his mother and father in a wooded area on the east side of Louisville. Tucker is the 14th death attributed to the twister outbreak, and the 10th in Winston County. One person each died in traffic accidents in Issaquena, Leake, Lee and Rankin counties.

The bodies of Tucker’s parents were found Tuesday. Winston County Coroner Scott Gregory said all were thrown far from their destroyed Louisville home. The boy was found about 600 yards from the house.

A funeral home says burials for the mother, 31-year-old Terri Tucker, and father, 43-year-old Shawn Fowler, are set for Sunday. Funeral home officials said Thursday they’re not sure yet whether the son will be buried at the same time as his parents.

Finding the boy’s body means the end of search and recovery efforts in the county.

The inability at first to find the boy had vexed state and local officials, who had used cadaver dogs and a computerized tracking system as they combed a densely wooded area where trees were splintered and debris was scattered.

“He was in a different locale from the parents,” Carr said. “He was outside of the search area from where they thought he would have gone.”

Gregory said Tucker was found on his back on the ground. The coroner said the boy died of massive head trauma.

“His condition was one of the better ones of the 10 fatalities that we had,” Gregory said.